In general, the present invention relates to devices for treating upper airway obstruction problems, particularly some forms of obstructive sleep apnea and snoring, as well as applications in clinical settings, such as those involving the administration of anesthesia. Upper airway obstruction is a natural phenomenon in human beings that may manifest itself physiologically in different ways, such as in snoring while sleeping and/or pathologically through phenomena such as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and furthermore, may also manifest itself under certain clinical situations, such as anesthesia or induced sedation.
Approaches to maintain the integrity of the airway in order to avoid upper airway obstruction have included, in clinical settings, endotracheal intubation, introduction of nasal or oral airways, use of LMA (laryngeal mask airway) devices, and manual maneuvers such as chin lift and jaw thrust, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,918,394, 6,981,503, PCT Pat. Pub. No. WO 2007/049836, and US Pat. Pub. Nos. 2004/018783 and 2007/0181135, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. However, endotracheal intubation, LMA, and oral/nasal airway placement approaches are too invasive to be applied to conscious patients. Chin lift and jaw thrust devices may require another person to perform and not be always available. In non-clinical settings, continuous positive air pressure (C-PAP) applications and jaw supporters have been proposed. Frequently, the jaw supporters are not wearable, or are such that they utilize adjustable straps and the like that overlap each other and create unnecessary pressure and discomfort to the users face and head in overlapping areas, or are otherwise uncomfortable to wear. Even worse, the approaches to wearable jaw supporters tend to involve straps that clamp the lower jaw shut or pull the lower jaw tight towards the base of the skull, in an inwardly tensioned direction. Approaches to clamping the jaw shut, or alternatively, to pulling the jaw back towards the base of the skull in an inwardly-tensioned fashion, do not provide the most comfortable solution for the problems at hand, and moreover may provide an equally bad obstruction in the breathing of some patients.
Alternative approaches, such as C-PAP have gained in popularity as a treatment of OSA, especially with morbidly obese people. However, this approach is cumbersome because, in addition to being expensive, the mask of the C-PAP is bulky and unpleasant to wear, and furthermore is noisy because of the machine operation necessarily associated therewith. Other treatment options for OSA may relate to use of a mouth piece, however, this requires the mouth piece needs to be individually made by a dentist or oral surgical specialist based on the oral anatomy of the person. Moreover, this approach is also time consuming, expensive, and generally unpleasant for the patient, given that he must necessarily sleep with the mouthpiece in his mouth. Hence, there is a need for a new non-invasive approach to supporting the airway of patient or user that can be applied for a treatment of OSA, snoring, and which can also be used to keep the airways open during the course of administration of anesthesia and sedation, but does so in such a way so as to provide much-needed comfort of wear, while still overcoming the structural deficiencies of otherwise cumbersome jaw thrusters and other treatments.